This is the seventh exclusive Supercars.com column by Supercars Hall of Famer Craig Lowndes for the 2026 season. Seven-time Bathurst winner Lowndes will unpack each round of the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship from his own perspective, continuing with last weekend's NTI Townsville 500.
New ‘Big Three’?
Matt Payne, Brodie Kostecki and Cam Waters have emerged as the latest benchmarks as we approach the end of the Repco Sprint Cup. We saw last year how important momentum was going into the enduros. Matt, Brodie and Cam have shown that they are in the best form of the field.
Brodie bounces back
Brodie bounced back incredibly well after Darwin, where he missed the last race through illness. To return in Townsville and grab pole position first up, then translate his speed into a dominant win on Sunday, was very good. The ability he has of understanding the Soft tyre and executing across qualifying and racing is telling. His middle stint on Sunday was impressive, and it set up his race.
Where to next for Triple Eight?
I’m not surprised this is happening. It was always going to be a difficult year for Triple Eight, moving from GM to Ford.
Normally they’re the leading team for their manufacturer, and everyone else is chasing their set-up. Now, they’re looking at Groves, Tickford and DJR to understand how to make the Mustang fast.
It’s evident that it’s hit and miss for them at the moment. I have no doubt they’re working hard in the background to understand the Ford and put more tools in the toolbox in the effort to close the gap. You saw over the weekend that the cars were weak in qualifying, but were quick in the race.
What makes their situation somewhat worse, is that other Ford teams are doing a better job. When you look at the Camaro teams, they can be hit and miss too. But if you look at Sunday, when there were no Camaros in the top 10, you could probably say those teams missed the mark. But when Grove, DJR and Tickford are fighting for wins, you know the Mustang is good, and you do ask questions.
Broc Feeney and Will Brown are right to feel aggrieved, but they’re also part of the solution. You can’t just get an engineer to put a winning set-up in the car, not knowing what the driver wants. It’s a combination of everyone’s input into finding speed. There’s frustration from the drivers, but equally from the team, sponsors — everyone involved. Those reactions put pressure back on the team internally.
The team and drivers need to regroup. It’s what I had to do there when we were in a slump. You’ve got to analyse it, you’ve got to understand it, but you also have to make changes. They’ll be deep-diving into every little detail to find out what works, and what doesn’t.
At the very least, they have to get consistency back. We talk about drivers who had great performances one weekend, but fall down the order the next. At the moment, that’s exactly where they are.
They’ve had 20 years of strong performance. Now like everyone else, they’re searching for how to set up the car and get the best out of it.
Chaz cracks on
It’s an important time of year to find form and confidence. The racing is as hard and as tough as I’ve ever seen it. You make one little error, and it’s costly. Chaz Mostert didn’t do that in Townsville. He deserves to be at the front.
What matters is what’s coming up. There will be many drivers who will have nothing to lose, especially come Bathurst. Some drivers will lift, and every point matters.
Balancing act for PremiAir
Should teams be more patient with young drivers? Yes and no. Of course, teams should be patient. But at the same time, drivers are employed to do a job. I was in that boat at times, especially under the guidance of Roland Dane. With Roland, you knew damn well what you needed to do if you didn’t perform.
I had plenty of meetings with Roland over my time, especially when I was underperforming. He’s a hard taskmaster, but also fair. Roland will give Declan Fraser opportunities, but he’ll understand that if he can’t give Declan the right tools, that’s on the team. You’re judged against your teammate — and in this case, Jayden Ojeda has grabbed his opportunity by the horns.
We know Declan is fast. We drove together in the Triple Eight wildcard. I know his ability. It’s about getting consistency going. He may be overdriving the car to compensate with what the car’s not giving him. Declan and the team need to work together to create a forward pathway.
Roland made the point to me over the weekend, that PremiAir is not the poor cousin — they want to be up the front running strong. The drivers have to deliver, and so does the team.
Make last minute Finals runs, or put eggs in Bathurst basket?
Talking to Tim Blanchard on the weekend, he was disappointed that his cars weren’t qualifying where they wanted, and that left them vulnerable. They know within themselves that they can produce the speed, but James Golding is now out of the 10.
Blanchard Racing Team’s ability to work under pressure was evident when Golding’s starter motor failed in qualifying, and he delivered the flying lap needed to get into the top 10. But at some stage, there will be some teams who know they won’t make the top 10, and winning Bathurst will become their priority.
The intensity will rise across the next few rounds, because there’s so much still to play for. The next stage of the championship season will be showcase the drivers and teams who can step up to the next level.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
